Humidity-regulator for incubating apparatus.



W. E. MAYNARD.

HUMIDITY REGULATOR FOR INCUBATTNG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEs,1911. 0.

rigrjnnr OFFICE.

WILBUR E. MAYNARD, vOfi NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

HUMIDITY-REGULATOR FOR INCUBATLING APPARATUS.

noname.'

o. all-:whom 'it may concern: ;Be it known that I, WILBUR E. MAYNARD,

acitizen of the United States,.residing at` Northampton, county of Hampshire, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in I-Iumidity-Regulators for Incubating Apparatus, of which the I'following `description, inconnection with the accompanyf ing drawing, is a Vspeciiication,flike characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates toa humidity regulator adapted for use in connection with a chamber havingA a constant temperature i" vtherein and arranged to maintain the huinidity in said chamber at a predetermined point.

My device is especially useful in'connection with incubating apparatus, for it is de- -isirable that the humidity of the airin the incubating chamber should'remainat a substantially constant point in order to produce the best results. I would state, however, that my. apparatus can be used in other lofcations where itiis desirable that the humidity should remain at a constant point in a chamberhaving a constant temperature. In my Patent No.- 981,097, January l0, 1 911, I have illustrated an incubating apparatus provided with means to deliver moist 80 air to the incubating chamber and also provided with a hygroscopically-governed controlling device to automatically control the quantity of moisture in the heated air supplied to said chamber. The particular device shown vin said patent for accomplishing this regulationy of the humidity comprises a yalve controlling the admission of the moist air to the incubating chamber and l a plurality of vcords within the chamber which are connected to the valve and which by their expansion and contraction operate the valve, said cords contracting when the i hui'nidity increases and expanding wyhen thel humidity decreases.v `In my present invention I have provided a siliiple device which is adapted to vtake the place oi.l the expanding and contracting cords mentioned in my patent and which will control the valve 'thereby to regulate the amount of moist air admitted to the chamber. Iv wish to repeat,

however, at this point that my improvement is not necessarily limited to its use in connection with an incubator, but, is capable ot use in other relations..V 1

ln the drawingsy I have shown'the device as it would be used in connection with an K Specification of Letters Patent Application filed June 8, 191,1.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

seriai No. 631,924.

. incubator, and Figure l is a vertical sectional view through an incubating apparatus having my imljirovement applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the 6e 'liygroscopic valve-controlling device.

ln the drawings l indicates an incubator having a compartment 2 in which is4 received an egg shelf or egg tray 3 on which the eggs are placed. -The egg-receivingcompartnient 2 is shown as heated by heatingpipes 4 which extend throughout the coin` partment and contain some heating. fluid, such as hot water, the latter beingv kept at the proper temperature by "an exterior heaterN." The heating pipes 4 lead to a return (i which passes `through a; vaporizing tank'7 below the compartment 2 which is partially filled with water lsothat theheat iii `the return ypipe will vaporize the water '7;5, in the vii-porizing tank. k.The vaporizingtank has connected thereto a conduit Sivhioh leads into the chamber 2 and isprovided with an air inlet opening 9 so that a. currentof moist air will be established over th body 8O of water in the tank 9 through the conduit 8 to the compartment 2. These ,constructional features vare all fully set forth in myA Patent No. 981,097, and, therefore, further reference thereto is not necessary the 8.5 operation of these parts will be readily understood by referring to the patent.

The conduit 8 is providedwith a valve l() which controls the supply of, moist air therethrough and this valve is operated'and 90 controlled by the hygroscopic valve-conf troller which will now be described.`

My improved hygroscopic valve-controller comprises a scaled expansible and contractible chamber containing an expansible Huid, connections whereby the expansion ofl said chamber will open the valve while the con-I traction of said chamber will cli'se the'valve, a jacket of absorbent material overlying one side of the chamber, and means to keepsaid 103) jacket moist, l l u Inthe drawings the expansible and con-A lti'actible chamber is shown .at ll and may.. be made in any suitable way and may have any suitable construction. One convenient y105 .way ot' making this chamber is vto construct- 'it in the form of'. two disks l2'and 13 which are connected at their periphcries to make a'y fluid-tight chamber, but which are so con?" i structed that they can move-toward or fronr 11:0 each other to provide the expansion and eon` traction of the chamber. The disk 13 is lli shown as rigidly sustained by a frame 14 which is ixedly carried by the incubator 1. Thisframe is in the form of an' arm extended from a tubular post 15 which is secured to the top of the incubator 1 and depends therefrom into Ithe compartment 2. The disk 13 has rigid therewitha stud 16 which is screwed,4 or otherwise securedl to the frame or arm '14, thus xedly securing,

the chamber 11 to the frame. The disk 12 has fixed thereto a projection 17 which bears against a lever '18 that is pivoted to the frame 14 at 19. The free end of the lever is loosely connected to a rod 20 which extends upI through the'post 15 and which lis connected at its upper end to a lever 21 keeping this jacket moist is by means of a.

wick 27which lies against the jacket and which leads to a compartment containing water so that themoisture will be conveyed along the wick by capillary attraction and delivered tothe jacket. As herein shown the arm 14 supports a bottle or other vessel 28 havin an open neck or mouth 29 through which t e wick is led, said vessel being illed or partially filled with water, as clearly seen in Fig. 2. With such a con struction the jacket 26 will be kept moist, as will be obvious.

In the operation of the device the chamber 11 is filled with some suitable eXpansible fluid, such, for instance, as alcohol or ether, so that said chamber will expand more or less and the disks 12 and 13 will vbe separated a greater or less distance depending on the temperature of the expansible iiuid. The jacket 26 is kept moist as above de scribed and the vaporization of the moisture therein will tend to keep the liquid in the chamber 11 at a somewhat less temperature than that of the'ai'r in the compart ment 2. The Vrate at .whichthe moisture in" the jacket 2G is evaporated depends upon the degree of humidity in the compartment 2, and the temperature, and consequently the volume, of the Huid-fin thechamber 11 will vary as the rate of evaporation of the moisture in the jacket 26 varies. When the air in the compartment 2 begins to dry out there will be a more. rapid evaporation of themoisture in the jacket 26 which will resultin cooling the liquid (in the chamber 11 and thereby allowing said chamber to contract. As the chamber contracts the disk 12 will move upwardly and the weight 25 will serve to open the valve 10 thereby admitting moist air through the conduit 8 into the chamber 2. .As the humidity increases the rate of evaporation of the moisturein the jacket 26 will decrease, and the temperature ofthe liquid in the chamber 11 will correspondingly increase, thus causing the cham` ber to vexpand and the disk 12 to move downwardly. Such movement -will operate through the arm 18 and connections 2O and 23 to close the valve 10 and thus shut-` oif the supply of the moist-air. The delivery of theI moist air to the compartment-r 2 is thus regulated automatically byv the hygroscopic valve-controlling device,V above" referred to.

I have found from experiments that this device is very accurate and sensitive and will keep the humidity in the compartment 2 at a substantially uniform degree. c

I have provided an adjustable connection between the rod 20 and the lever 21 which connection permits me to adjust the device so 'Y for different uniform temperatures inthe compartment 2. This adjustable connection may be provided for in a .variety of ways, but a convenient construction is that shown in the drawings wherein the upper end of the rod`20l is screw-threaded .and extends through the end of the lever 21"and is provided with an adjusting nut 30. By thus lengthening or shorteningA the connection 20 the position of the valve -may be adjusted to correspond to anydesired tempera'ture in the compartment 2.

WhileV I have illustrated my invention as it might be applied to an incubating apparatus, I desire to state that it is equally. applicable for use in other relations where4 it is desired to maintain a fixed degree of humidity in the compartment havin a' uniform temperature, and therefore not wish to be limited .to the application of the invention shown or to the constructional details illustrated.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by LetA ters Patent is 1. In a humidity regulator, the combination Awith avcompartment maintained at a. constant temperature, of a conduit leading` to said compartment through which moist air- 4 ble `fluid, means to open the valve `when the -expansible chamber containing an expansi-A chamber contracts and-to close the valve when the chamber expands, a jacket of absorbent material overlying one side of the chamber, and means top-keep the jacket moist.

' 2. In a humidlty regulator, the combination with a compartmentV maintained at a lconstant temperature, of means to deliver moisture to said compartment, and a hygroscopic controller situated within thecompartment for regulating the' amount of moisture delivered, said controller compris'- ing an expansible chamber containing expansible uid, a. jacket. of absorbent' material envelopingthe chamber, and means to keep the jacket moist.

3. In a humidity regulator, the combina# tion with acompartment mamtained at a constant temperature, to said compartment to which moist air isA of a conduit leading delivered, a valve controlling said conduit,

and a hygroscopie valve controller situated Withinl said compartment and comprising an enpansible chamber filled with expansi! ble Huid and 'provided with a fixed and a mOVable connection. between the movable side of Said Chamber and the valve whereby the valve is moved by movement of said side, a jacket .of absorbentmaterial enveloping said chamber, and means to keep said v jacket moist.

In testimony whereof, I' have signedmy4 

